The F27 (without a dash) Friendship was introduced in 1958
by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker; it was their most successful post-war airliner. Subsidized by the Dutch government it became the world's best selling turbo-prop airliner, reaching 787 planes by 1986 including 206 built under license by the Fairchild
Hiller Corp. of the US, and know as the F-27 (with a dash) Friendship. The 206 aircraft built by Fairchild Hiller included 128 standard F-27s and 78 FH-227 stretched versions.

The Fokker F27 began as a design study in 1950 as a replacement to the very successful Douglas DC-3. The first prototype flew in Nov. 1955. The following year Fokker signed a licensing agreement with Fairchild Hiller of the US.
The first Fairchild F-27 entered commercial service in Sept. 1958 and the first Fokker F27 production model was delivered to the customer in Nov. 1958.

The accident: On 16 Mar 1984 on a flight between Trinidad and San Borja, CP-862 crashed in the jungle in the vicinity of Cerro Pilon, about 40 kilometers from San Borja. Fatalities: all 3 crew members and all 20 passengers.

Personal note: I flew on CP-862 in 1983 with my sons Michael and Christopher from Camiri to Yacuiba, then to Tarija. We had arrived in Camiri via Boyuibe by train from Santa Cruz, then by
open truck over night, arriving in Camiri on 28 July. Our flight to Tarija on 30 July was cancelled because of low cloud cover over the airport in nearby Choreti; the same on 31 July. Finally on 1 Aug the clouds lifted enough for us to leave. (See photo above)
What an adventure ! Seven and a half months later this same, usually dependable aircraft went down on a flight from Trinidad to San Borja; all 23 on board died. It scares me now to think about it.

The best source I know of for information about the Fokker / Fairchild aircraft in Bolivia is the following (in Spanish) by aviacionboliviano.net:

Hijacking Incident: On 16 Dec 1971 CP-863 was flying the Sucre to La Paz route with pilot Capt. Marcelo Maldonado at
the controls, assisted by co-pilot Carlos Gamarra. On board were 34 passengers including the La Paz soccer team Club Municipal. A man with a pistol confronted the crew and said that he was hijacking the plane and wanted to be taken to Arica, Chile. Capt. Maldonado
convinced him that they would need additional fuel and that they should land in Cochabamba to refuel and allow all (?) or some of the passengers to depart.

The following is an approximate translation of the story as related in the excellent article "Aviones Fokker y Fairchild F-27 en Bolivia" by aviacionboliviano.net referenced above: The hijacker
agreed but was nervous and was becoming more violent toward the crew. Once on the ground in Cochabamba, the situation spiraled out of control as a squad of local security police (the DIC) stormed the plane led by a junior official, Alfredo Cassis. In the ensuing
exchange of gunfire Capt. Maldonado and the hijacker were killed and the co-pilot was wounded. Then when one of the passengers, the soccer team trainer, started to berate the DIC official Cassis for his irresponsible actions, the policeman shot the trainer
at point-blank range and fled the scene.

Additional information is contained in an article on aerospotter.blogspot.com - Roll
Out - Recuerdo de Marcelo Maldonado: According to the article, the hijacker's name was Wifredo Urdininea and he was a member of a terrorist group with ties to Cuba. No mention was made of the incident with the soccer team trainer and Mr. Cassis.

The accident: On 2 June 1980 on a scheduled flight approaching Yacuiba, CP-1117 crashed into the Tapecua hills.
No survivors of the three crew members and ten passengers. Very little information available on this tragic accident.

Photo: ASN, Werner F.

________________________________________

CP-1175

Fairchild F-27J
c/n 121

History:

Fairchild Hiller
built: 1966

Allegheny
Airlines N2710J
8 Feb 1966

- stored at Indianapolis IN 1971-1972

Winair -
Winward Islands Airways "
Nov 1972

Air South
"
Jun 1974

Allegheny Airlines "
Sep 1974

" - converted from -27J to -27M
Oct 1974

LAB
CP-1175 17 Dec 1974

- accident w/o
22 Jan 1980

The accident: On 22 Jan 1980 at the Santa Ana de Yacuma airport, the aircraft ran off the taxiway into a ditch. The nose gear failed causing a propeller to break off, damaging a fuel
tank and causing a fire which destroyed the plane. No fatalities as the eighteen passengers and three crew were able to escape unharmed. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off by LAB.

Photo: LAB Virtual

______________________________________________________

Photo: Jacques Vooren collection

CP-1176
Fairchild F-27J
c/n 119

History:

Fairchild Hiller
Built: 1966

Allegheny Airlines
N2708J
12 Jan 1966

Winair - Windward Island Airways - leased "
Jan 1973

Allegheny Airlines - returned
" May 1974

Allegheny Airlines "
Feb 1975

- converted to -27M

LAB
CP-1176
26 Mar 1975

Oklahoma Aircraft Corp.
N277PH 1 May 1983

Horizon Air
"
1 May 1983

DeHavilland Canada
"
Feb 1986

Horizon Air
" Feb 1986

DeHavilland Canada "
Dec 1986

Boeing Equipment Holding
"
Nov 1987

North American Aircraft Inc. "
Aug 1988

Airlift International
"
Dec 1988

Airlift International N277RD
Jun 1989

- stored at Miami
Jun 1991

Islena Airlines - Honduras
HR-IAN Aug 1992

- wfu "
Jul 1993

North American Sales
"
21 Apr 1994

- stored at Opa Locka FL
Dec 1996

Aviation Management Support
"
?

Islena Airlines
"

- broken up
early 1998

________________________________________

F-GBRU

F-GBRU in Choreti (Camiri) in 1981(?)

Notice the tail ! - Photo
by AlphaJet.JPB - airliners.net

Fairchild
F-27J c/n 43

History:

Fairchild Airplane Corp.
Built: 1959

Pacific Airlines N2771R
2 Apr 1959

Air West - Merged
"
7 Mar 1968

Hughes Air West
" 1 Apr 1970

Hughes
Air West - converted to -27J "
1974

Air Liberia
EL-AHI 14 Feb 1974

Hughes Air West N2771R
14 May 1975

Summa Corp. - parent co. of Hughes AW "
17 Dec 1979

TAT - Touraine Air Transport
F-GBRU
22 Feb 1980

Uni-Air -- Taiwan "
Apr 1981

TAT
"
Oct 1981

TAT - Transport Aerien Transregional
" 1 Apr 1984

Swed Air "
May 1984

TAT
"
18 Feb 1985

LAB
"
21 Feb 1985

TAT
"
6 Jul 1987

-
wfu at Dinard airport, France
1989

- broken up
abt 1992

TAT Fairchild F-27A - Photo by Christian Volpati

Swed Air - Photo by Johan Ljungdahl - airliners.net

________________________________________

F-GBRV

Fairchild F-27A c/n 44

History:

Fairchild Airplane Corp.
Built: 1959 First flight:

Pacific Airlines N2772R
18 Apr 1959

Bonanza Airlines - leased
"
1 Apr 1964

Pacific Airlines
" 1 Aug 1964

Air West - merged "
7 Mar 1968

Hughes Airwest
"
1 Apr 1970

Hughes Airwest
"
1974

- converted to -27J "

Air Liberia EL-AHJ
29 Jan 1974

Hughes Airwest
N2772R
5 Jun 1975

Summa Corp. - parent co. of Hughes AW "
14 Aug 1979

TAT - Touraine Air Transport F-GBRV
31 Aug 1979

Air Martinique
"
Feb 1980

TAT
"
May 1981

Air Guadeloupe
"
2 Oct 1982

TAT
" 20 Nov 1982

TAT - Transport Aerien Transregional "
1 Apr 1984

LAB - leased
" 24 Jan 1985

TAT - returned "
4 Aug 1987

ACE Transvalair - France - leased
"
Jan 1990

- wfu at Dinard, France
Jul 1991

Sky-Service - leased
"
1993

TAT
"
Aug 1993

- wfu
Aug 1993

- broken up at Dinard
by 1997

Photo by Frank C. Duarte Jr. - jetphotos.net

Photo by Udo K. Haafke - airliners.net

______________________________________________________

Fokker F27

___________________

CP-2013

At CBB in 2004 - Photo by Aero Icarus

Fokker F27 Mk200 Friendship c/n 10138

History:

Fokker
PH-FBF - roll out 3 Nov 1959

- first flight 4 Nov 1959

TAA - Trans Australia Airlines
VH-TFK 30 Nov 1959

Associated Airlines of
Australia "
1 Jul 1960

- accident

TAA
"
9 Dec 1960

TAA - Airlines of New Guinea "
12 Oct 1969

Air Niugini
"
1 Nov 1973

Air Niugini
P2-TFK 1 Jun 1974

Air Niugini P2-AND
1 Nov 1975

Connair - Australia
VH-TFK
15 Jun 1979

East-West Airlines - purchased Connair "
24 Feb 1980

Ward's Express - leased
" Apr 1980

- wfu or returned
Nov 1981

Fokker
"
23 Feb 1984

Fokker
PH-FBF
9 Mar 1984

LAB
CP-2013 3 Aug 1985

- donated to Bolivia by the Dutch government

- named "Reina Beatrix", later "Guayaramerin", also "Cobija"

FAB
"
Apr 2006

- ntu never flown

Ejercito de Bolivia "
14 Nov 2011

- operational in 2015

Accident: On 22 Jan 1960 after landing at the Mackay airport in Australia,
the aircraft, VH-TFK, suffered a failure of the starboard landing gear, causing substantial damage to the plane, but no severe injuries to the six passengers and two crew. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.

________________________________________

CP-2165

Photo by Werner Fishdick - aviation-safety.net

Fokker
F27 Mk600 Friendship c/n 10592

History:

Fokker
PH-EXG
Roll out: 26 Jul 1979

First flight: 14 Aug 1979

Swift Aire Lines N421SA
14 Jan 1980

Air North
"
25 Apr 1982

Brockway Air - merger
"
1 Nov 1984

Piedmont Commuter "
1 Nov 1984

Fokker
PH-GDG
10 Jul 1987

LAB
CP-2165
10 Jul 1987

- transported Pope John Paul II in part of visit to Bolivia
May 1988

- accident w/o
22 Dec 1994

The accident: On Thursday 22 Dec 1994 at 07:00 hrs. the aircraft overran the runway at Guayaramerin airport following a takeoff abort and crashed into trees.
All 36 passengers and four crew survived the accident. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was written off (w/o). The planned destination of the flight had been San Joaquin, Bolivia.

From the Aviation Safety Network:

"Just before V1 (107 kts.) the no. 2 engine auto-feathered. The take-off was aborted and the aircraft overran runway 17 coming to rest against trees 120 m from the runway".

________________________________________

CP-2282

Photo by Marc van Zon - airliners.net

Fokker F27-400M Friendship c/n 10600

History:

Fokker PH-EXD
Roll out: 15 Feb 1980

First flight: 21 May 1980

Fokker
PH-FTV 14 Aug 1980

TAM - Transporte Aereo Militar TAM-94
7 Feb 1981

FAB - Fuerza Aerea Boliviana FAB-94
Sep 1994

LAB - leased
CP-2282
Dec 1995

FAB
FAB-94

- wfu and stored for several years by FAB during the 90's

TAM - leased ?
FAB-94
by 2000

- accident w/o
22 Jan 2002

Accident: Aircraft was damaged beyond
repair (dbr) and written off after a landing accident at Guayaramerin on 22 Jan 2002. At the time the aircraft was being operated by TAM.

According to the Aviation Safety Network website:

"Seven minutes from Guayaramerin, the no.1 engine
failed. A single engine approach and landing was carried out. On landing, the Friendship overran the runway, [went] through the perimeter fence and [into] a ditch. The nosegear collapsed, the right hand main gear leg separated and the right wing broke."

There were no fatalities among the 40 passengers and four crew members. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The origin of the flight is unknown.

Interested in learning more about Lloyd Aereo Boliviano and it's fleet of
aircraft ? Check out -